We previously explored how purchasing in the cloud can eliminate your need to have a dedicated department within your legal practice that is tasked with procurement and purchasing services. In this entry we will explore why cloud-based software is a much better choice for a legal practice than conventional purchasing software.
If you are involved in the legal industry, you likely know quite well the vast amounts of paperwork that permeate every aspect of the legal industry. Even in the event that your law practice has taken steps to streamline your business and create online databases to eliminate the need for as much paper goods and printing equipment, you still need computing equipment, software, stock, office supplies and a whole host of other items. If there are ways that you can further streamline the purchase of items and track the inventory as needed, you owe it to yourself to take advantage of them to save yourself both time and money. Hiring a dedicated individual to complete the necessary research and to purchase items as they are needed is one way to solve the problem. However, that will require you to take on a new employee and provide them with compensation and perhaps benefits as well.
2. Cloud-Based Software is a Step Up From Conventional Purchasing Software
If your legal practice already utilizes purchasing software, you may incorrectly assume that cloud based software will not provide you with vastly better results. Purchasing software is definitely better than using traditional paper methods for your purchase orders and for tracking your inventory, but there are certain caveats with conventional purchasing software that are not present in the cloud. For example, most conventional purchasing software requires that you install the software on your dedicated business network and that you must then maintain it and update it as needed. This requires you to enlist the services of an IT professional and if you do not have an IT professional on your team, it means hiring an outside individual or outside business which can be an extremely expensive endeavor.
On the other hand, cloud-based software truly is a step up from conventional software. Cloud-based software does not need to be installed on your dedicated business network and is instead situated on the server that belongs to the vendor. All updates are done on the vendor’s end, eliminating the need for you to hire an IT professional for the job. Furthermore, cloud-based procurement-to-pay software fully automates every aspect of the procurement process. Ordering, handling transactions, creating graphics such as charts for business presentation – all of these tasks can be performed within the cloud. That means that the software is essentially a procurement department in and of itself! Better yet, most purchase-to-pay software enables you to complete transactions using any device that is able to access the Internet; and most purchase-to-pay software is extremely user friendly which means that even a novice can operate it properly.
As you can see, purchasing in the cloud is an easy way that your law firm can streamline operations so that things run more smoothly and so that you can enjoy better profit margins by decreasing your monthly and yearly expenditures. You owe it to yourself to learn more about this great way to update your business with the newest developments in cloud-based purchasing software.
